Extra's Strategy: Cultivate Protagonists, Become Invincible

Xuanyuan Zhou's gaze narrowed as the bloody scene played out at the center of the arena, seemingly signaling at Han Xuhan's impending, inevitable defeat.

"That sheath... Did Chen Yan plan his schemes that deep?"

Mu Ran had already leapt to his feet, shouting something about cheating. But his voice was restrained by the arrays inscribed on the borders of the arena, ensuring that no disturbance could be caused to the combatants inside.

"Go sit back down!" A nearby arena official said in a tone that left no room for arguments.

"He tricked my martial brother!" Mu Ran's indignation was evident. Many disciples nearby nodded and voiced their support.

"Who told your martial brother to pick up his opponent's tools? Don't you know the most basic taboos of combat? Never use an unfamiliar tool without getting it examined by an expert first, especially if it belongs to your enemies!"

Gnashing his teeth, Mu Ran could only trudge back. Xiao Wu patted him on the shoulders and said, "Look, it wasn't that serious, Brother Ran. Let's wait and see how Xuhan handles it."

Indeed, at the center of the arena, Han Xuhan and Chen Yan had come to a stop again, reassessing the situation and exchanging precious insights.

"I truly miscalculated your capabilities, junior brother," Chen Yan said, staring at the blood leaking out of Han Xuhan's wounded knees.

"So did I, senior. Only now have I realized that you dropped this sheath intentionally."

Han Xuhan examined the insides of the two halves of the saber sheath in his hands, where a hidden array had just been activated.

"You wanted me to get reliant on this sheath so that you could exploit the splitting mechanism hidden inside at a critical moment and win the round in one sweep!"

Chen Yan shook his head, as if he wanted to deny the evident truth.

"That slash should have crippled at least one of your legs. But all I managed to inflict are surface injuries that are getting healed as we speak!"

True to his observations, Han Xuhan's knees were still working just fine. The flow of blood was growing weaker by the second, and the flesh and skin around the knees were shivering in an attempt to close the wounds.

"You've already undergone a qualitative leap of Physique Transformation, haven't you? That bizarre movement art must be capable of laying an incredible foundation!" Chen Yan said, impressed.

"At the third phase of the martial path, a qualitative leap is no less than a miraculous blessing from the heavens."

Han Xuhan adjusted his knees, getting used to the painful burning sensation there, and said, "Doesn't that prove you wrong? Last time we met, you were telling me all about how the heavens have shunned me, hahaha!"

Chen Yan didn't get angry. "Is that all you remember from the last time we met? We visited the Sect Master together, didn't we? You should remember that too!"

Han Xuhan's countenance slowly became overcast, as if a grave realization were dawning on him.

Chen Yan took that opportunity to begin his onslaught.

He clearly understood his own limitations. The Sweeping Saber Style had many weaknesses due to its highly specialized nature. Anyone who had studied its moves and practiced accordingly could exploit them.

So Chen Yan did not use those flashy moves and stuck to the most basic technique, leaving no gaps in his defense, no haste in his offense, and mountain-like stability in his movements.

Feint. Feint. Stab. Reposition. Feint. Slash. Feint. Reposition. Feint. Stab. Cut. Reposition...

Repeatative, but not predictable. Aggressive, but not desperate. His very approach towards the duel underwent a massive shift, as if he had foreseen that no more tricks and schemes were needed to attain victory!

In contrast, Han Xuhan was fighting a wholly different battle, entirely passive in nature.

He used the two halves of the sheath to fend off Chen Yan's blade whenever it got too close. But he also had to be careful not to position himself in a way where the previous situation could repeat itself.

The sheath couldn't be relied on. But it could neither be discarded when Chen Yan's saber came sweeping.

The constant mental calculation was taxing. Chen Yan's strikes fell relentlessly, not giving him any room to breathe. Even attempts to distract him with words didn't work.

Every mistake he made resulted in a small injury. Whenever his martial skills were found lacking, his flesh tasted deep cuts. If not for the extensive experience of combat he had gained throughout the last two months, he wouldn't have made it past the first few wounds.

Outside the arena, Xuanyuan Zhou shook her head despondently.

"Still too inexperienced. A martial duel isn't a contest you can win if you keep holding back and plotting schemes. He should have gone all out the moment he was injured."

Mu Ran glared at her. "Maybe if you hadn't taught him those tricks..."

Xiao Wu sighed. "This is what martial duels are like. Skill and experience cannot be defeated with tactics alone. Xuhan had little chance to begin with, and he ruined it with his hesitation."

Xuanyuan Zhou's lips moved, but she suddenly became lost in thought, as if she had had a sudden realization.

Han Xuhan also seemed to have realized his mistake. Chen Yan was guiding this battle into a competition of stamina and precision. The longer it went on, the higher his momentum would grow.

Due to the gap in their physiques, Han Xuhan would not be able to maintain this hyperactive state as long as Chen Yan could. His injuries would only keep increasing.

This mistake had to be rectified as soon as possible!

So, when Chen Yan's saber struck out the next moment, he didn't try to ward it off evasively. He swung both halves of the sheath in two different trajectories, one to stop the oncoming blade, and the other heading for the hand that held the blade.

Behind the mask, Chen Yan's grin went unnoticed by all.

'Can't hold on anymore? That's just what I've been waiting for!'

Once more, his saber accelerated, and a casual slash transformed into a heavy offensive move!

Sweeping Saber Style: Cicada Becomes A Dragon!

Clang!

Once more, the clash between the saber and its sheath resulted in the defeat of the sheath. It broke into two, but...

The blade got stuck midway, steel screeching against steel. The array that was supposed to split the sheath further suddenly dimmed!

The next moment, the other half of the sheath in Han Xuhan's other hand, smashed into Chen Yan's wrist with maximum momentum.